


To Be Spoken

by TomorrowsAngel



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Winter Soldier (Comics)
Genre: Adopted Bucky Barnes, Adopted Natasha Romanov, Alternate Universe - High School, Amputee Bucky Barnes, Bisexual Bucky Barnes, Bisexual Steve Rogers, Childhood Trauma, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Russian Bucky Barnes, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-19 06:15:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29746233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TomorrowsAngel/pseuds/TomorrowsAngel
Summary: They've been going to the same school together for almost four years, ever since Bucky showed up in Steve's class the middle of eighth grade. The quiet Russian boy with the emotionless stare, and the prosthetic arm.Ever since that day, Steve's had a fascination with the other boy. It's taken until their final year of High School for them to even speak with each other, and now Steve just wants to get as close as he can to the mysterious and aloof Bucky Barnes.Or the High School AU where Bucky's the cold, distant, Russian orphan with the prosthetic, and Steve Rogers is into that.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	To Be Spoken

**Author's Note:**

> Hey!
> 
> So, I've written a few chapters of this, that I hope to post on a regular schedule.  
> This isn't exactly the first time I've written fanfiction, but it's the first time I'm doing it as an adult and posting it.  
> Not to mention the formatting has thrown me for a loop... so if anyone wants to help me make this look more presentable...  
> well regardless, I hope you can enjoy this for what it is! 
> 
> Any feedback is welcome!

Prologue

* * *

Steve still remembered how his eighth grade class had been shaken up with the arrival of a new student in their fourth month. It was rare for his school to see a new student, and the peculiarity of someone being introduced nearly halfway through their final school year before graduation was not lost on any of his classmates. It didn’t help this poor new guy that not only had he just been brought into the Country from Russia, but that he also was the owner of an incredibly advanced prosthetic arm. 

Bucky, as he was to be called, was quite the oddity around the school in the months that followed his arrival. The first few weeks he was flooded with questions, which he always effortlessly avoided. Kids would always try inviting him to lunch, to play games at recess, to sit with them during school events. He always declined. Eventually, as with all things, he lost his novelty. His cold demeanor was most likely the catalyst for this. He seemed to lack any interest in making friends, and any attempts made by his peers to do so were shut down abruptly. As Steve and the rest of his classmates grew up, and moved on to High School, the curiosity there had been in the dark haired boy had faded away. People lost interest in trying to get to know the boy who seemed pretty determined not to let anyone do exactly that. Though as they entered their final year of High School, and without having spoken so much as three words to the other, Steve couldn’t understand why he had not. 

Chapter One

Zoning out in the middle of class wasn’t exactly, unlike Steve. He had his favorite classes of course, ones that could effortlessly keep his attention. Math was not one of those subjects, and it didn’t make it easy to concentrate knowing that this was his final class before the end of a long day. Though that day as his eyes glazed and he stared listlessly out of the window, a familiar voice broke his trance. 

“...Ven… Steven?” a deep Russian accent whispering his name became suddenly apparent to him as Steve whipped his head around to find the voice. 

Bucky was his seat partner, a fact that had for some reason excited Steve when he’d come to know it at the beginning of the semester. Soon enough, it had become obvious to Steve that just because they were in close proximity to each other for the first time since eighth grade it didn’t mean that they’d somehow become closer like he’d imagined. Bucky had stayed his cold, quiet self. Focused on his work in front of him for the entirety of their class time together. The attempts Steve had made to speak to the other were met with Bucky’s signature emotionless expression. 

The same expression Steve was being met with now. 

“W-What’s up?” he whispered back in surprise. 

“Do you have a pencil.” Bucky deadpanned. He wasn’t even asking, but his attitude was completely lost on Steve, who quickly reached around into his backpack to procure the item that Bucky had requested. 

He was completely taken aback, he didn’t even understand why. As he handed the pencil to Bucky, he wasn’t even surprised when the other boy said nothing, plucking it out of his fingers without so much as a nod of acknowledgement.

_ What the hell. _ Steve thought as he turned back to the lesson in front of him. 

Bucky was back to working as if nothing had happened, which in retrospect, nothing really had. But Steve couldn’t shake the fact that not only was that their first interaction in years, but also that Bucky actually knew his name. 

Sure they’d spent years going to the same schools, but Bucky had never actually truly acknowledged his existence, let alone called him by name. 

Steve sat in shock for the rest of his class, he felt so out of it for no true reason. 

_ What does it even matter that he knows who I am? I mean why am I so shocked. Shouldn’t he? _

By the time Steve found himself packing away his textbook and binder at the end of class, he was in such a tailspin that for some reason, when Bucky placed the pencil back on Steve’s desk, and uttered a quiet

“Thanks.” without even looking up at him, Steve wasn’t sure how he managed to stay on his feet. 

He watched silently as Bucky slung his bag over his metal shoulder. Then, just before Bucky made his exit, Steve snapped back to a reality where acknowledging someone else’s gratitude with manners of your own is the normal and polite thing to do.

“O-oh yea, no problem.” Steve managed, as Bucky looked up at him for the first time since their morning encounter. His expression didn’t shift, he just nodded slightly, before turning and leaving with the rest of their classmates.

It was such a tiny and insignificant encounter. So normal and uneventful, mundane even. And yet Steve could feel his cheeks warming. He cursed under his breath, annoyed at his own awkwardness, grabbed his own bag and made his way out of the classroom. 

-

Mundane as it was, Steve mulled over the entire scene from then until he made it to his locker. And after he put his books away and grabbed his duffel bag of gym clothes, he thought about it as he slammed his locker with a bit too much force, and started making his way towards the gymnasium. He thought about how flustered he was for no reason. He reflected upon Bucky’s complete lack of expression as he pushed open the gym doors and jogged over to the locker room. It stayed in the back of his mind, as he passed a few of his team members, nodding them a greeting as he threw his bag onto one of the benches. By the time he was grabbing out his Baseball uniform he was feeling annoyed. 

_ What the fuck was that.  _ Bucky had been… totally rude.  _ Rude as fuck really. And I’d just stared at him like him even acknowledging my existence was a blessing from the heavens.  _

“ _ Fuck.”  _ Steve muttered under his breath as he pulled off his shirt.

“You good Rogers?” Steve jumped. He hadn’t even noticed Sam standing right next to him.

“Yea sorry. Wait-” he pulled his uniform shirt over his head as he turned to Sam.

“Have you ever talked to Bucky?”

“Bucky?” Sam raised his eyebrow, pausing to give Steve a look that said; “ _ What are you about to start”  _ before pulling his own uniform top over his head. 

“Yeah, Barnes, Bucky Barnes? Have you ever talked to the guy?” Steve ignored his friends incredulous look.

“Um… hm. No, I don’t think so. Well besides like, a few words here and there. But yea no. I don’t think many people have.” he chuckled. “Why do you ask?” 

“He talked to me today.” Steve paused and furrowed his brow “Well… I guess he didn’t really, but well he knows my name?” he rolled his eyes, more at himself than anyone else. “What I’m trying to ask is… what’s that guys deal? We’ve been going to the same school as him for what… like four years at least right? And he never talks to anyone. I didn’t even know he knew I existed until today, and even still he was totally rude to me and I just let him be!” Steve turned back to Sam to see the other’s eyebrows were now raised even higher. Steve felt his face flush as he turned away, now aware of how mad he sounded over seemingly very little. 

Sam smirked at him before replying, “I’m going to repeat my question from earlier… You good Rogers?” Steve rolled his eyes again as he finished changing into his uniform and threw his old clothes into his duffel in a crumpled heap. 

He zipped up his bag and started heading to the locker room exit as Sam rushed to catch up with him. 

“Hey I’m just joking. For real though, was he rude to you? I’ve never really seen the guy talk to anyone either so I guess I don’t really know what to say.” Sam seemed apologetic, and it just made Steve feel even stupider. 

“Yea I’m fine. Ugh I don’t even know why I made such a big deal about it.” as they pushed their way out into the gym a familiar voice followed from behind them.

“Big deal about what?” Tony asked, throwing his hand out to stop the locker room door before it closed in front of him.

Sam interjected before Steve could “Don’t worry about it Stark, it’s nothing you could gossip about anyway so I doubt it’d interest you.” 

“Awww you sure?” Tony flashed his signature devious grin and he sprinted to catch up to the two. “I can gossip about… pretty much everything. Just gotta exaggerate a bit to make the story better.” 

Sam was the one who rolled his eyes this time, “Have you ever tried caring about your friends issues because they’re y’know, your friends? Instead of just so you can spread rumors or get sympathy?” Sam’s words were biting, but he still said them with a smile, and Tony didn’t seem at all phased as his expression matched. 

“C’mon Sam, you wound me. Are you telling me our poor Rogers is having an issue then?” he turned his devious expression to Steve.

“No. I’d also like to add, if I ever did I wouldn’t involve you either.” The three of them kept walking, leaving the gym and making their way towards the fields where the Baseball diamond was. Tony mock pouted, and even if Steve was as blunt as he could be he knew that the other wasn’t going to drop it until he was let in on the topic at hand. Steve sighed as he knew he didn’t have the energy to deflect.

_ It’s not a big secret either. Nothing even happened.  _ He scowled to himself. 

“Fine. Have you ever talked to Bucky Barnes?” Steve asked, looking to Tony as he saw his expression change from joking to confused. 

“Um… No? Nobody has Rogers, if you’ve forgotten the guy is like, mute. I’m pretty sure at least, because I’ve never even SEEN him talk to anyone. Either that or he can’t speak english. Isn’t he from Russia or something? He’s probably undercover for the KGB or something and isn’t even authorized to speak to us. Speaking of being a spy, he’s definitely gotta be one have you seen that arm it-”

“First of all. I don’t even know what you’re talking about. And second of all, he’s not mute and he certainly knows English considering he spoke it to me today.”

“Wait he did?” Tony didn’t seem at all offended by the fact that Steve had just cut him off entirely, “What did he say?”

“Nothing really. H-He just wanted a pencil!” Steve felt the frustration from the encounter all coming back to him. “But, he knew my name? I guess that’s why I’m so... shocked?”

“Huh.” Tony turned back to looking in front of him.

“That’s all you have to say? We warned you it wasn’t that interesting.” Steve scoffed and the three of them joined up with the rest of their team who were standing around waiting for Coach Fury.

“That’s not it! I was just going to say-”

Once again Tony was cut off as they heard the whistle blow, signifying that Fury was there and was calling for all of them to give him their full attention. 

“We’ll talk about this later.” Tony whispered to him as Fury began to relay to the team what their plan for practice that day was. 

Steve didn’t bother acknowledging Tony as he kept his head forward and listened. It seemed like everyone was on the same page with Bucky. They all knew nothing about him, neither Sam nor Tony had ever really talked to him. The only thing that was different about all their experiences with him was Steve’s. He couldn’t help but feel like maybe there was importance in that. At the same time though, as he and the team started their warm up jog around the track, he just wanted the whole thing to disappear from his mind. Afterall, nothing had even happened. There was nothing but the three lines of dialogue that they’d exchanged in a matter of minutes for him to be hung up on. And yet he was. Steve wished that for his own sake, that would be his last interaction with Bucky Barnes.


End file.
